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Gallagher, Speier Introduce the Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act

March 27, 2019

Washington, D.C. — Today Congressman Mike Gallagher (R-WI), joined by his colleague Jackie Speier (D-CA), introduced the Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act, new bipartisan legislation to provide public oversight of large-scale government projects. The bill requires an annual report to taxpayers listing every government-funded project that is $1 billion or more over budget, or that is five or more years behind schedule. The legislation is a part of Rep. Gallagher's broader effort to restore the public's trust in government and protect taxpayer dollars.

"Mismanagement of multibillion-dollar government projects should not be treated like business as usual," said Rep. Gallagher. "It's our job in Congress to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars, and this bill provides much-needed transparency of large-scale projects so we can get to the bottom of a problem before it becomes a bottomless pit of money."

"The American people deserve transparency and ultimately accountability when the government violates their trust by going billions over budget," said Rep. Speier. "This bill would give Congress and the public insight into which projects are most problematic, so that we can intervene before things get worse."

"Congress needs to know when taxpayer funded programs go off the rails. This bipartisan bill will provide timely reporting to highlight where Congress needs to focus its attention to make sure taxpayers are getting the bang for the buck they deserve, making it easier to conduct essential oversight over these programs,"said Liz Hempowicz, Director of Public Policy at the Project on Government Oversight.

This bill is supported by several major outside groups, including: Project on Government Oversight, National Taxpayers Union, Open the Books, Center for a Responsible Federal Budget, Coalition to Reduce Spending, and Taxpayers for Common Sense.